Playing-ball.



A. T. SAUNDERS.

PLAYING BALL.

Arrmonmu rump llA1L8, 10.11.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

m woe n fo'z 5X il 'M burrs ermine PATENT ()FFICE.

ADDISON '1. SAUNDERS, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO A. G. SPALDING & BR'OOF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PLAYING-BALL.

i alt-50,592.

finalisa ion filed March 8, 1911.

P 'wm it may concern lie 1: known that l, Aouzsox "l. siumnnns,-.witizcn of the United States, residing in run, in the vState of Ohio,have invetted curtain new and useful improvements in Playing-Balls, ofwhich the following is a. specification, ierenee being had to theaccoinpanying (.lrawing, forn'ung a part hereof.

This invention relates to balls, suea as those which are used in variousgames and especially in the gan'ie of golf, which must he pos used ofcousi-ilcrable resilience and, being struck from time to time with batsor clubs, are liable to momentary deformation. Such balls usually have arelatively small core upon wl'iich is formed, usually by winding rubberthread under tension, a more or iess resilient body, a. shell or coverof gutta-pcrclni or other suitable material being molded upon theresilient body. The cores of such baits have been formed heretofore ofvarious substances, such hard, vulcanized rubber or giula-percha,unvulcanized or pure rubber in solid form and pure rubber thread woundto form a small ball. All of these cores, although somewhat. yieldingand resilient, nevertheless substantially retain their shape, especiallyunder the compression towhich they are SUlJJCCtQtl by the body oti thchall, and are generally' called hard cores. The advantages of softcores, that is, cores formed of a substance which is more or less mobilein diameter, so that, when the balls are struck, the cores shall bereadily capable of deformation, have been recognized generally andvarious attempts have been made to provide satisfactory soft cores. lhusballs have been madehvith cores which consist of rubber bags filled withwater or some other suitable liquid, mineral salts in solution beingadded to increase the specific gravity. Balls have also been made withcores which consist of similar bags filled with oil or. with a. saprnaceouscompound, with metal filings or other mineral substances toincrease the specific gravity. Cores have also been made of soft rubberdough composed of raw rubber mixed with. mineral and oils. It has beenfound, however, that with water cores or rubber balls filled with wateror other liquid there is, in use, more or less seepage or per colationof the Water from the core. which results in loss of size and of weightin the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Serial No. 613,030.

core and eventually, through the drying out of the water, in loss ofweightin the. body itself; and that with cores formed of ballscontaining oil or saponaceous compounds, there is not only some loss ofweightand size in the cores themselves, but a deterioration of thequality of'the body through the action thereon of the oils and liquidconstituents of the saponaceous compounds, resulting' sometimes in theloosening of the paint on the cover; while with cores formed of softrubber dough composed of raw rubber mixed with minerals and oils, thereis also a loss of size and weight in the cores, and a still n'lorc rapiddeterioration of the bodies of the balls through the action of the oilswhich are gradually separated from the soft rubber and penetrate thebody of the ball.

It is the object of this invention to provide playing, balls of thecharacter referred to having, cores which are sufficiently soft, thatis, mobile or semi-fluid in character, to permitthe advantages of softcores to be realized, while the disadvantages incident to the use of thesoft cores heretofore do vised are obviated. To this end the im-' provedcores a re made of a soft, vulcanized rubber compound,that. is, acompound of soft or pure rubber, sulfur and a softening agent, such atpetrnlatum, or a suitable oil, mixed in such proportions as to producethe desired degree of softness, and sul'isequently vulcanized. Thedegree of softness of the core thus secured is greater than in theordinary vulcanized rubber cores, so that the desired mobile characteris secured, and, at the same time. the compound is permanent so thatthere is no separation of any of the constitu nts thereof in use. Thesoft core thus produced therefore retains its size and weight and yieldsnothing which affects the character of the body of the ball. The desiredspecific gravity of the core maybe secure-.l by adding to the compound,before \-'ulcanizati m, lithargc or other suitable substances.

The invention will be. more fully explained hereinafter with referenceto the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which represents, insection, a golf ball having the improved core. I

Tn the ball shown in the drawing the softrore (1., formed as describedherein, may have a primary wrapping, as of a shortlcugth of relativelywide rubber tape 1), (S-

pecially if the core is not molded in spherical form but is cut from ablock of the vulcanized compound and should be given a spherical form.Upon the core, whether with or without the wrapping of tape, is formedthe body 0, preferably by winding rubber thread under tension andoutside of the body may be the shell or cover (1, usually, in the caseof a golf ball, of gutta percha or other plastic material moldedon thebody.

In the preferred manner of making the improved core, a quantity of rawrubber is broken down upon warm mixing rolls or in a dough mill andmixed with a suitable proportion 'oflitharge or other eomminuted mineral'to give the desired weight, and with oil, petrolatum or other suitable,softening agent'in such proportion as to'secure the degree of softnessrequired, sufficient sulfurbeing added for vulcanization. The relativequantity of softening agent employed may vary within quite wide limitsaccording to the result to be produced.

- When the compound has thus been formed itis cured or vulcanized eitherin spherical molds of the proper size or in blocks or slabs from whichpieces of suitable size to from cores may be cut and afterward woundwith rubber tape to secure the proper shape for the application of thebody, usually by the winding on of rubber thread under tension. Asatisfactory mixture for the core of a golf ball of a desirable weightand behavior, may consist of sig tecn parts by weight of raw rubber ofgood quality,

of litharge, and one part of sulfur, but ohviously the proportion oflitharge or other -mineral will be increased or diminished according tothe weight which is desired. and satisfactory results, according to thereusing oil in widely different proportions. It will be evident,therefore, that the invention is not restricted to any )articula-rsoftening agentor to any partieuiar weighting material, or' to anyparticular proportions of the softening agent and raw rubber,

I claim as my invention:

1. A playing ball having a core of a soft vulcanized compound of rubberimpregnated with a non-volatile hydrocarbon softening agent, and a bodyformed thereon.

2. A,playing ball having a core of a. soft vulcanized compound of rubberimpregnated with a non-volatile hydrocarbon softening agent, and a bodyof rubber thread wound ,thereon.

this 4th day of March A. 1)., 1911.

ADDISON. T. SAUNDERS.-

Signed in the presence of CLARENCE H. ARCHER,

EARL C. DANIELS.

eight parts of petrolatum, seventeen parts sults desired, have also beensecured by This specification signed and witnessed 60

